Brick press



Aug. 2, 1932. F. H. BANKERT BRICK PRESS Filed Dec. 13, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 2, 1932. F. H. BANKERT BRICK PRESS Filed Dec. 15. 1930 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 2, 1932. N -r 1,869,995

BRICK PRESS Filed Dec. 13, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 2, 1932 pair-en erases PATENT @FFICE FRED H. BANKERT,'OF OTTAWA,- ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHICAGO RETOB-T AND 'FIRE BRECK GGlvIPAIE 1', OF CHICAGO, ILLINGIS, A CGRPORATION'OF ILLINOIS BRICK PRESS Application filed December 13, 1930. Serial No. 502,182.

, My invention relates to, a machine for pressing clots as they are delivered from the auger or other clot forming machine and especially clots containing such an amount of ii moisture that the bricks formed are relatively plastic after the pressing operation is completed. My invention relates moreiparticularly to that form of press in which the mold cavity is formed with stationary vertical walls between which reciprocate upper and lower platens or press plates through which the required pressure is put upon the clots to form the bricks. In a press of this character, after the brick has been pressed, the upper and lower press plates move upward with the brick on the lower plate until the lower face the parts in the same positlon as in Fig.

of the brick is in the plane of the upper edge of the mold cavity, the upperplate being raised away from the brick during this movement, and then the brick is shoved out of the machine. Such presses have heretofore been used for so-called dry pressing,in which operation the brick contains so little moisture that, after it is compacted in the mold cavity, it is suf iciently firm to withstand the pres sure between the press plates though the brick is partly exposed above. the mold be. fore the pressure is relieved. One feature of my invention relates to the adaptation of a machine of this character for pressing clots of more plastic material. W ere the pressure between the press plates maintained after a brick of such material was raised so as to parmold, the brickwould be more or less deformed or bulged at its sides and ends. .My invention contemplates relieving the pressure between the upper and lower press plates V1116 the brick is still entirely enclosed within the side and end walls of the mold cavity.

Another feature of my invention relates to the means for automatically feeding the clots to the press. For this purpose, I provide a horizontal table onto which the clots are fed or placed either by hand or automatically, and over which a follower reciprocates to move row of clots thereon the width of a blocktoward the press at each reciprocation of the follower, and pusher located slightly below the table to receive the tially protrude above the upper face of the In the drawings accompanying and form-v ing a part of this specification,

Flgur'e 1 1s a central, vertical, longitudinal section of a preferred form of machlne embod in m invention arts bein shown y '3 y 7 b in elevation; I

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a detail partly broken away; 7

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the machine in a difierent phase of its operation;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with and Fig. 5 is a plan line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the preferred form of the invention chosen for illustration, themain frame 6 of the machine is of cast metal and comprises a'vertical housing 7 having parallel vertical guideways 8, and supports for the moving and other parts to be presently described. The mold cavity 9 is formed in a horizontal slab 10 of metal, suitably supported on the frame between the guideways and of sufficient vertical thickness to. provide a mold cavity of the proper depth to receive the upper andlower press plates with a brick between them. A U-shaped frame, comprising the side members 11 and the bottom crossbar 12, is mounted to slide in the guideways 8. The lower press plate 13 is carried upon a plunger 14 resting upon a shield member'12 carried by the cross bar 12. These parts may be suitably secured together. The upper press plate 13 is carried by a plunger 15 which, in turn. is carried by a sliding bar 16 guided in the side members 11 of the sliding frame. Toggle levers 18. 19 pivoted to each otherat 20 and respectively to the upper ends of the side members on the sliding frame and-the sliding cross bar 16, when operated, cause the upper and lower press plates to approach and recede from each other. The toggleis operated and the frame raised and lowered by a lever 26, pivoted at partly in section, on the one end to the pivot 20 between tl e levers l8 and 19 of the toggle, and at the other end to a crank wrist 27 on a crankshaft 28. The latter is ournaled in the main frame and revolved by a gear wheel 57 thereon engaged. by a pinion 59 on power shaft 60.

In order that the link 26 may raise and lower the U-shaped frame as well as operate the toggles, it is provided with a cam lin 29 engaging an anti-friction roller 30 pivoted to the main frame at 31.

The machine as thus far described was, in its essentials, old prior to the present invention. In the prior machines of which I am aware, and which were designed for handling a dryer material, forming on compression a firmer or more rigid brick, the toggle and link and the cam on the latter were so formed that the toggle did not release or substantially relieve pressure on the brick until the latter was partially, at least, exposed above the top edge of the mold. In the machine of my invention, on the other hand, in order that itmay be adapted to the handling of more plastic material, the cam on the toggle operating link is so shaped and the parts otherwise so proportioned and located, that at the time when the brick is compressed, as shown in Fig. 3, the U-shaped sliding frame rests upon the stop spring 2& and the cam wing 29 is clear of the roller 30. As the link 26 moves to the left (as in Fig. 3), the first result of such movement is the buckling orbending of the toggle to relieve pressure on the brick. Thereafter, as the motion of thelink continues it engages the anti- .friction roller 30 with the result that the U- shaped sliding frame is raised into the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the top pressure plate is fully raised and the lower pressure plate is raised to a position in which its top surface is level with the top of the mold and in position for the discharge of the formed brick and the reception of a new clot. After the clot is in place, the U-shaped frame descends and, at the same time, the upper press plate moves toward the lower press plate, so that the brick is compressed while entirely enclosed in the mold.

For the purpose of feeding the clots to the press I provide a table 32 which is secured to the main frame of the press in any suitable manner and which is adapted to receive the rectangular or other clots which are to be formed into bricks and along which the clots are fed to the mold. The table may be fed with clots automatically, but in the present illustration of the invention I have shown a table adapted to be fed manually. On opposite sides of the table are mounted guide bars 33 upon which slides a carrier 34. To the under rear edge of the carrier is hinged a pusher plate 35, the upper or rear edge 36 of which extends beyond the hinge to hold the plate in vertical position against the rearward pressure of the clots as the plate is drawn forward, the construction being such as to permit the plate to fold up against the lower side of the carrier in the reverse or idle movement thereof. The carrier is connected by links 37 with arms 38 carried by a rock shaft 39, and the rock shaft carries on an end thereof an upwardly projecting arm 4:0 connected by a link ll to an adjusta ble crank pin 42 carried by the crank shaft 27, above mentioned. At each revolution of the main shaft the carrier 3 with push plate 35 is reciprocated, the parts being so proportioned and adjusted as to reciprocate the carrier the breadth of a clot. Before or after each return of the carrier a new clot is placed upon the table and at each forward movement of the carrier a clot is forced over the front edge 44: of the table. Each clot as it is forced over the front edge of the table is deposited upon an inclined apron 45 from which it is fed to the mold.

The means for feeding the clot from the inclined apron to the mold comprises a reetangular frame consisting of guide bars 46, a front bar 4 7 and a rear bar 48. As best seen in Fig. 5, the side bars of the frame are rearwardly extended to form lugs 4-9 to which are pivoted the forward ends of links 50. The rear ends of the links are pivotally connected, respectively, to arms 52 carried by rock shaft F3. The latter also carries an arm 54 on which is mounted an antifriction roller 55 which travels in a cam groove 56 formed on or carried by the above mentioned gear wheel 57 on the main shaft. At 61 I have shown, conventionally, a clutch and at 62 a pulley through which the power shaft is driven.

From the drawings and the foregoing description the operation of the machine will now be apparent. The machine being in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the parts in the position they occupy just after a clot has been compressed to form a brick and the latter expelled from the machine and a new clot placed in position upon the movable mold bottom. At this time the feeder frame is in advanced position with its front bar 47 against the ejected brick and its rear bar 48 against the clot which has just been shoved onto the elevated bottom press plate. At the same time the carrier 34 is approaching its rearmost position with its hinged, pusher plate ready to drop behind a new clot 43 which has just been placed upon the table. As the main shaft continues to revolve in the direction. of the arrow as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the vertically sliding f *ame with the lower or bottom plate of the mold drops as link 26 with its cam web moves rearwardly, carrying the clot thereon downward to a position within the mold and permitting the cross member I? of the horizontally sliding frame to clear the clot. The

last-mentioned frame then moves rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3 in which the rear bar e8 thereof is beneath the forward edge of the table. The carrier 34 with its push plate having retreated to a position to permit the latter to drop behind the last clot as put upon the table, moves forward thus pushing all of the clots on the table forward unt'l the foremost clot drops onto the inclined apron 45 between the front and rear bars of the horizontally sliding feed frame. ll hile this is occurring the vertically sliding cross bar 16 carrying the top member of the mold is being forced downward by the action of the toggle and compressing and forming the brick within the mold. The parts are then in the position shown in Fig. he toggle is next broken or bent by the forward movement of the operating link thus relieving pressure on the brick and the frame is then raised to the position shown in Fig. 1. The shape of the cam 56 by which the feed frame is operated is such that the frame remains substantially in its advanced position from the time a new clot is pushed onto the bottom press plate until the U-shaped frame carrying the new clot is lowered sumciently to permit the front cross bar of the feederframe to clear the top of the clot. The feeder frame is then quickly retracted and remains in retracted position until t-h bottom press plate has again risen to the top of the mold when it is again advanced to the position shown in Fig. 1, ejecting the formed brick and advancing a new clot, re ceived in the meantime while in its rearward position from the table, into position on the bottom press plate. The machine is so organized and arranged that the carrier with its pusher plate is advanced while the feeder frame is in its rearmost position and thereby the front clot on the table is dropped on the inclined apron 45 within the frame.

I claim:

1. In a press of the class described, means constituting the vertical walls of a mold chamber, top and bottom press plates, a vertically sliding frame in which the bottom plate is carried, a slidin bar to which the top press plate is secured, a toggle lever between said bar and said sliding frame, a link connected at one end to the pivot of the togv gle, a crank to which the other end of said link 1 connected, a cam fin on the link, a guide a vertically movable bottom press plate, means for moving the latter between a position in which its top surface is substantially in the plane of the top of the chamber. and

a position in which it is substantially lower. a top press plate movable toward and from the bottom plate and means for reciprocatin: the same, a support for a clot of material to be pressed, the upper surface of whlch support is substantially in the plane of the top of the mold, hollow frame horlzontally movable from a position entirely to one side of the mold cavity to a position in which the hollow of the frame is directly above the mold cavity, means for moving the frame from 4 the first said position to the second said position when the bottom plate of the mold is elevated and for returning the frame to the first said position when the bottom plate of the mold is depressed, and means located in a position in which it is substantially lower,

a top press plate movable toward and. from v the bottom plate and means for reciprocating, the same, a support for a preformed block of material to be pressed, the upper surface of which support is substantially in the plane of the top of the mold, a frame comprising a front and a rear bar movable over the sup port and mold from a position to one side of the mold cavity to a position in which said bars are respectively on opposite sides of the mold cavity, means for moving said frame from the first said position to the second said position when the bottom plate of the mold is elevated and for reversely moving the frame when the bottom plate of the mold is depressed, a table above said frame and projecting thereover when the frame is in the first said, position and means for moving blocks to be compressed step by step over said table and dropping them successively into said frame.

t. In a press of the class described, means forming the vertical walls of a mold chamber, a vertically movable bottom press plate,

means for moving the latter between a position in which its top surface is substantially in the plane of the top of the mold and a position in which it is substantially lower, a top press plate movable toward and from the bottom plate and means for reciprocating the same, a support for a clot of material to be pressed, theupper surface of which support is substantially in the plane of the top of the mold, a frame compris ng a front and a rear bar and movable over the support and mold from a position to one side of the mold cavity to a position in which said bars are respectively on oposite sides of the mold cavity, means for moving said frame from Q the first said pos tion to the second said POSI- tion when the bottom plate of the mold is elevated and for reversely moving the frame when the bottom plate of the mold is de- 1 pressed, a table above said frame and sup- 10 port and projecting thereover when the frame is in the first said position, a carrier reciprocable along said table and a pusher device on the carrier, means to reciprocate the carrier, or the pusher device being adapted when moving i1; toward the hollow frame to engage and push a row of clots and to discharge the end clot of the row into the frame and onto the support and when moving in the opposite direction to pass over the clots on the table. In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

FRED H. BAZ KERI. 

